Sonic Lost World - Previews

[Diogenes]

Crash? Spyro?

They never climbed as high as Sonic fell from. And whether they've survived is...highly debatable.

[1991boy]

I actually heard that they are planning to reboot Crash

[WhoWhatMan]

Are you sure? The last time they try to reboot the series, they scrap it.

[Lady Soniko]

They did reboot the series for Crash all ready, the Crash of the Titans/Mind over Mutant games have completely changed the whole gameplay aspect of the game, and it wasn't super bad, but it wasn't amazing either so yeah rebooting Crash will be shooting themselves in the foot, unless he returns to form with a fresh lick of paint.

 

Spyro is actually doing incredibly well Sales wise with Skylanders, as long time fans will probably hate the series direction it has taken, the younger gaming generation is definitely lapping that shit up.

[Crazizzle]

I actually think Tomb Raider is a good comparison, at least from how I look at the scores. It doesn't have the longevity, but the arc seems similar. Mind you, I don't play the Tomb Raider games. I'm just going by the critical response I've seen.

 

Great start--->General mediocrity---->Abysmal glitchfest of a game---->Semi-revival

 

 It is true, though. Most series that fall off actually die. The Sonic franchise is actually still a money maker, though. If sales declined to under a million units more often, it might have actually disappeared for a while.

[Radrappy]

I just posted this on the sega forums, figured I'd post it here too.  Just got back from the event and took some time to write some impressions up.  

WiiU

Windy Hill

You all know this level by heart by now and have probably watched a playthrough of every possible path. The only thing I'll say is probably something many have been wondering: yes, if you jump over a speed booster you will in turn skip the cutscene that it would have otherwise activated. For example, I was able to jump over every booster during the first part of the crumbling bridge running sequence and platform it myself. Pretty awesome. What wasn't awesome was that the laser wisp frankly did not work as intended. I almost always gave up on swiping the wiiu pad and just hit the A button which also activated the power. There was a massive framerate snag when the move finished too but I suspect that won't be in the final version. 

Dessert Ruins 3

Felt great, nothing much to say here. Colors fans will feel right at home with this one. 

Desert Ruins 2

I was worried that the automated running would lead to some cheap deaths but was surprised by how enjoyable and intuitive this one was to navigate. Didn't die once. 

Frozen Factory

Okay, so out of the 4 wiiu levels on display, this one was easily the weakest. Mostly just because the level design doesn't lend itself to Sonic's new controls. It is very stop and start and the shield bearing enemies are very annoying to dispatch. I tried the pinball segment that Aaron has always skipped during his demos and I understand why now. It requires the player to progress up many tiers of bumpers in order to escape and I could see this bit easily frustrating players who just want to get back to the action. It's for a red ring though and is strictly optional. 

3DS 

Windy Hill

Felt great, nothing to say.

Desert Ruins 2

This is the 2d version of the level that we've already seen footage for. It was fun to play and very puzzle oriented.

Desert Ruins 1

Okay, so this was the first of two brand new 3ds stages that I tried out. It was a fully 3d level and was very expansive and involving. The level involved dealing with these giant sand worms that would pop out of the ground to devour sonic. They could only be killed with the vortex wisp so luckily many capsules were on hand at all times. There was an amazing bit where sonic has to platform up a cliff while avoiding a sandworm that attacked from the walls, only to reveal that there was plenty of level left when you reached the top. It was well designed and really reminiscent of Mario 3d land for 3ds. 

Frozen Factory 1

Okay, this level was the surprise treat of the evening for me. Firstly the level is MASSIVE. It starts with a snowboarding sequence straight out of sonic 3 but in full 3d! There are puzzles that involve pushing giant snowballs on switches and using them to block jets of ice that would freeze sonic if he touched them. Where the level really shined was a sequence where while running quickly through a giant half-pipe like structure, sonic had to navigate through these giant metal gears that would roll across the stage. It was always extremely rewarding to jump through the center of these gears, not losing a bit of momentum and snagging the 5ring reward that was usually floating in the center. This stage also saw the return of the cute penguin enemy from sonic 3. Great stuff. 


General impressions

Okay guys, let's get serious for a second. Sonic is SLOW in this game. Like, only slightly faster than Mario slow. For many, this is a deal breaker. More than that the game actually makes you stop and think at times, especially in the 3ds version. There are puzzles and certain enemies cannot be defeated easily, meaning that you cannot plow through these levels like you could in generations/unleashed/colors. This alone is going to upset a lot of you. But if you're like me, and you've been waiting for a platform centric Sonic game that puts gameplay first above all else and isn't afraid to get creative with its levels, than you're in for a treat come october. This is the first 3d sonic game that truly feels like a successor to the megadrive era titles. Man, that 3ds Frozen Factory level was so good, I might just be more excited for the 3ds version. 

If anyone has any really specific questions, ask away.

Edited August 11, 2013 by Radrappy

[Wraith]

^ Wait....the buttons can activate color powers? if so, YES. ONE OF MY FEW CONCERNS WITH THE GAME GONE.

[Jango]

Does the Frozen Factory 1 have nods to Ice Cap? Music wise

[Radrappy]

^ Wait....the buttons can activate color powers? if so, YES. ONE OF MY FEW CONCERNS WITH THE GAME GONE.

Well. . . you still need to tap the wisp image on the gamepad to activate the bugger.  But once you've done that you can hit a button to fire instead of swiping.  So it's not perfect.  

 

Does the Frozen Factory 1 have nods to Ice Cap? Music wise

 

Not that I could hear.  It sounded good but the event was always so loud I didn't really get a chance to follow the melody.  

[WhoWhatMan]

Oh! I got a question! Is there any recordings of the frozen factory for the 3DS? And it mario 3D land, not world, you might want to change that...

[Radrappy]

OH MAN I forgot to mention that in the Frozen Factory 3ds level, there is a new wisp power that changes sonic into a white/golden lightning bolt form which allows the player to attach themselves to floating electrical conduits and also attack enemies with a lightning styled attack. It felt a little like the lightning shield power up from S3&K.

Oh! I got a question! Is there any recordings of the frozen factory for the 3DS? And it mario 3D land, not world, you might want to change that...

 

fixed!  

 

To my knowledge there is no footage of the 3ds frozen factory.  I didn't have a camcorder so I wasn't able to record any but I'm sure a number of videos will start popping up by tomorrow!

[Bouldergeist]

Well it seems ff 3ds is taking cues from white park zone with pushing snowballs and jets of Ice flowing and the half pipe structure definitely homage from cool edge

[Narukami07]

General impressions

Okay guys, let's get serious for a second. Sonic is SLOW in this game. Like, only slightly faster than Mario slow. For many, this is a deal breaker. More than that the game actually makes you stop and think at times, especially in the 3ds version. There are puzzles and certain enemies cannot be defeated easily, meaning that you cannot plow through these levels like you could in generations/unleashed/colors. This alone is going to upset a lot of you. But if you're like me, and you've been waiting for a platform centric Sonic game that puts gameplay first above all else and isn't afraid to get creative with its levels, than you're in for a treat come october. This is the first 3d sonic game that truly feels like a successor to the megadrive era titles. Man, that 3ds Frozen Factory level was so good, I might just be more excited for the 3ds version. 

If anyone has any really specific questions, ask away.

Yep. My kind of game right there.

Questions!

How was the framerate of the 3DS version? Can you move in different directions with the parkour system during Wall running? (Cause i noticed that the 3DS version only shows Sonic doing running between walls in a straight line compared the the wii U version allowing more movement). Have you noticed transitions in the 3D levels of the 3DS version fading in black then out of it once Sonic jumps off a spring and lands on another area? How are the controls in both versions? How is the kick mechanic's momentum in the Wii U version? (Like when Sonic has to kick certain enemies to defeat them instead of a homing attack).

Edited August 11, 2013 by Narukami07

[Sky]

So, I played the Frozen Factory Zone 1 of the 3DS version at Sonic Boom and it was pretty fun. I think the Lightning Wisp was already mentioned and maybe the snowboarding sections, but I'm a little surprised no one mentioned this: the speed shoes music has been replaced with Reach For The Stars. Interesting.

To answer the above post (even though it's directed at Radrappy), the framerate was pretty good. Nowhere near as bad as Generations 3DS. The transitions have been changed to a fading black screen, yes. I didn't really get to try out parkour of the 3DS version though, unfortunately. From the gameplay trailers though, it seemed to be alright, but not as good as the Wii U version's parkour. I liked the 3DS controls, but can't speak for the Wii U version cause I've never used a Wii U before so I couldn't adjust with just one or two playthroughs.

[Bouldergeist]

So, I played the Frozen Factory Zone 1 of the 3DS version at Sonic Boom and it was pretty fun. I think the Lightning Wisp was already mentioned and maybe the snowboarding sections, but I'm a little surprised no one mentioned this: the speed shoes music has been replaced with Reach For The Stars. Interesting.

To answer the above post (even though it's directed at Radrappy), the framerate was pretty good. Nowhere near as bad as Generations 3DS. The transitions have been changed to a fading black screen, yes. I didn't really get to try out parkour of the 3DS version though, unfortunately. From the gameplay trailers though, it seemed to be alright, but not as good as the Wii U version's parkour. I liked the 3DS controls, but can't speak for the Wii U version cause I've never used a Wii U before so I couldn't adjust with just one or two playthroughs.

So we have sonic colours's theme song for the speed shoes and people thought sonic heroes was going to be in the full game though that was a touch of nostalgia but I can agree putting this in the game or a sped up track of the level

[WhoWhatMan]

Frozen Factory 1

Okay, this level was the surprise treat of the evening for me. Firstly the level is MASSIVE. It starts with a snowboarding sequence straight out of sonic 3 but in full 3d! There are puzzles that involve pushing giant snowballs on switches and using them to block jets of ice that would freeze sonic if he touched them. Where the level really shined was a sequence where while running quickly through a giant half-pipe like structure, sonic had to navigate through these giant metal gears that would roll across the stage. It was always extremely rewarding to jump through the center of these gears, not losing a bit of momentum and snagging the 5ring reward that was usually floating in the center. This stage also saw the return of the cute penguin enemy from sonic 3. Great stuff. 

 

By massive, Did you meant by: A. There tons of paths B. The Level is really long C. There a tons of cool gimmicks or D. The Level was huge in Scale?

 

And also, What does the Frozen Factory look like? It is a...  Frozen Factory?  Or did it trick you and it was something else?

[Sky]

And also, What does the Frozen Factory look like? It is a... Frozen Factory? Or did it trick you and it was something else?

It essentially looks like Ice Cap Zone. I see no factory elements...a factory themed leveled could be in future acts, though.

[Bouldergeist]

By massive, Did you meant by: A. There tons of paths B. The Level is really long C. There a tons of cool gimmicks or D. The Level was huge in Scale?

 

And also, What does the Frozen Factory look like? It is a...  Frozen Factory?  Or did it trick you and it was something else?

Frozen factory 3DS looks like Ice cap Zone on crack but I wonder if the Wii U version is inspired by holoska on crack

[Radrappy]

Yep. My kind of game right there.

Questions!

How was the framerate of the 3DS version? Can you move in different directions with the parkour system during Wall running? (Cause i noticed that the 3DS version only shows Sonic doing running between walls in a straight line compared the the wii U version allowing more movement). Have you noticed transitions in the 3D levels of the 3DS version fading in black then out of it once Sonic jumps off a spring and lands on another area? How are the controls in both versions? How is the kick mechanic's momentum in the Wii U version? (Like when Sonic has to kick certain enemies to defeat them instead of a homing attack).

 

- the framerate in the 3ds version was solid.  It would dip occasionally but it was nothing too jarring.  It's definitely not as smooth as the wiiu version in any case.

 

- yes, you can change directions while wall running.

 

- yes, the fade to black transitions are still there.  I would expect them in the final game.  They didn't bother me honestly.

 

- The controls in both versions are fine but they do have their own unique problems.  The homing attack being more automated now than ever doesn't always attack the enemy you intended to hit but I don't see that as a problem unless there are missions in the future that require you to kill some enemies while avoiding others.  The wiiu version had trouble getting the cyan wisp to work properly while the 3ds version often has sonic parkour when you weren't intending to.  This is because in the 3ds version sonic will parkour automatically one he reaches a certain speed as opposed to the wiiu version where he will only do it if the r trigger is held.  These are potential gripes I can see reviewers picking up on in the future but honestly none of them are very troubling.  I'll take any of these niggles over accidentally boosting off the side of a cliff any day.   

 

- The kick attack in the wiiu version feels nice.  The choice to stop time for a moment while kicking might upset some people who feel it kills the momentum but I thought it was fine.  The wind blade attack in the 3ds version is very cool as well.  It's nice to have more options when it comes to attacks.  

 

By massive, Did you meant by: A. There tons of paths B. The Level is really long C. There a tons of cool gimmicks or D. The Level was huge in Scale?

 

And also, What does the Frozen Factory look like? It is a...  Frozen Factory?  Or did it trick you and it was something else?

 

by massive I mean all of the above.  The only thing I can't confirm at this point was that there were TONS of paths seeing as I only got to explore one.  It did seem like there were many opportunities to take different routes though.  

 

And as someone else already mentioned, the zone looked a lot like ice cap in 3d.  The only factory-esque motifs I noticed were the giant rolling gears and the floating electrical conduits.  

Edited August 11, 2013 by Radrappy

[SilentDoom]

The fact that the kick halts momentum actually makes sense in the grand scheme of things. It's the power move that disposes of most enemies in one shot as well as knocking said enemies into others. It's like the boost attack except balanced.

[Bouldergeist]

So the gears (Mad Gear Zone) in frozen factory zone act 1 are like the kao from seaside hill (jungle rollers crash bandicoot) except you have to time your jumps carefully to proceed

[Radrappy]

So the gears (Mad Gear Zone) in frozen factory zone act 1 are like the kao from seaside hill (jungle rollers crash bandicoot) except you have to time your jumps carefully to proceed

 

Well, they are different in that you can jump through the centers unlike the ones from seaside hill.  Meaning there are now three ways to avoid them (right, left, jumping through the center).  

[Ruby Havoc]

IGN is liking how the game is shaping up: http://www.ign.com/videos/2013/08/12/5-encouraging-things-about-sonic-lost-world

[Badnik Mechanic]

IGN is liking how the game is shaping up: http://www.ign.com/videos/2013/08/12/5-encouraging-things-about-sonic-lost-world

 

*watches video*

 

Narrator: Reason 1: It goes back to it's roots. *pause* Sonic doesn't go right back to it's roots

 

Wait does it or doesn't it?

 

Narrator: It's locations, characters and colour schemes... theres even a casino stage.

 

So basically... like pretty much every previous game except Sonic 06 and Shadow?

 

Narrator: Reason 2: It's on a single paltform

 

You'll see in my preview (should be going up at some point early this week) why this isn't a completely good reason.

 

The video isn't really that insightful as it's just picking a few fan praises at random and a bit of Iizuka explaining the reasons for this.

[TrueBlue]

If you could Hogfather, could you give us a sentence on what you thought of the game? Positive/negative etc.